Print Page Options Listen to Ezekiel 19

A Lament Over Israel’s Princes

19 “Take up a lament(A) concerning the princes(B) of Israel and say:

“‘What a lioness(C) was your mother
    among the lions!
She lay down among them
    and reared her cubs.(D)
She brought up one of her cubs,
    and he became a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
    and he became a man-eater.
The nations heard about him,
    and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him with hooks(E)
    to the land of Egypt.(F)

“‘When she saw her hope unfulfilled,
    her expectation gone,
she took another of her cubs(G)
    and made him a strong lion.(H)
He prowled among the lions,
    for he was now a strong lion.
He learned to tear the prey
    and he became a man-eater.(I)
He broke down[a] their strongholds
    and devastated(J) their towns.
The land and all who were in it
    were terrified by his roaring.
Then the nations(K) came against him,
    those from regions round about.
They spread their net(L) for him,
    and he was trapped in their pit.(M)
With hooks(N) they pulled him into a cage
    and brought him to the king of Babylon.(O)
They put him in prison,
    so his roar(P) was heard no longer
    on the mountains of Israel.(Q)

10 “‘Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard[b](R)
    planted by the water;(S)
it was fruitful and full of branches
    because of abundant water.(T)
11 Its branches were strong,
    fit for a ruler’s scepter.
It towered high
    above the thick foliage,
conspicuous for its height
    and for its many branches.(U)
12 But it was uprooted(V) in fury
    and thrown to the ground.
The east wind(W) made it shrivel,
    it was stripped of its fruit;
its strong branches withered
    and fire consumed them.(X)
13 Now it is planted in the desert,(Y)
    in a dry and thirsty land.(Z)
14 Fire spread from one of its main[c] branches
    and consumed(AA) its fruit.
No strong branch is left on it
    fit for a ruler’s scepter.’(AB)

“This is a lament(AC) and is to be used as a lament.”

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 19:7 Targum (see Septuagint); Hebrew He knew
  2. Ezekiel 19:10 Two Hebrew manuscripts; most Hebrew manuscripts your blood
  3. Ezekiel 19:14 Or from under its

Israel Degraded

19 “Moreover (A)take up a lamentation for the princes of Israel, and say:

‘What is your mother? A lioness:
She lay down among the lions;
Among the young lions she nourished her cubs.
She brought up one of her cubs,
And (B)he became a young lion;
He learned to catch prey,
And he devoured men.
The nations also heard of him;
He was trapped in their pit,
And they brought him with chains to the land of (C)Egypt.

‘When she saw that she waited, that her hope was lost,
She took (D)another of her cubs and made him a young lion.
(E)He roved among the lions,
And (F)became a young lion;
He learned to catch prey;
He devoured men.
[a]He knew their desolate places,
And laid waste their cities;
The land with its fullness was desolated
By the noise of his roaring.
(G)Then the nations set against him from the provinces on every side,
And spread their net over him;
(H)He was trapped in their pit.
(I)They put him in a cage with [b]chains,
And brought him to the king of Babylon;
They brought him in nets,
That his voice should no longer be heard on (J)the mountains of Israel.

10 ‘Your mother was (K)like a vine in your [c]bloodline,
Planted by the waters,
(L)Fruitful and full of branches
Because of many waters.
11 She had strong branches for scepters of rulers.
(M)She towered in stature above the thick branches,
And was seen in her height amid the [d]dense foliage.
12 But she was (N)plucked up in fury,
She was cast down to the ground,
And the (O)east wind dried her fruit.
Her strong branches were broken and withered;
The fire consumed them.
13 And now she is planted in the wilderness,
In a dry and thirsty land.
14 (P)Fire has come out from a rod of her branches
And devoured her fruit,
So that she has no strong branch—a scepter for ruling.’ ”

(Q)This is a lamentation, and has become a lamentation.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 19:7 LXX He stood in insolence; Tg. He destroyed its palaces; Vg. He learned to make widows
  2. Ezekiel 19:9 Or hooks
  3. Ezekiel 19:10 Lit. blood, so with MT, Syr., Vg.; LXX like a flower on a pomegranate tree; Tg. in your likeness
  4. Ezekiel 19:11 Or many branches

A Funeral Song for Israel’s Kings

19 “Sing this funeral song for the princes of Israel:

“What is your mother?
    A lioness among lions!
She lay down among the young lions
    and reared her cubs.
She raised one of her cubs
    to become a strong young lion.
He learned to hunt and devour prey,
    and he became a man-eater.
Then the nations heard about him,
    and he was trapped in their pit.
They led him away with hooks
    to the land of Egypt.

“When the lioness saw
    that her hopes for him were gone,
she took another of her cubs
    and taught him to be a strong young lion.
He prowled among the other lions
    and stood out among them in his strength.
He learned to hunt and devour prey,
    and he, too, became a man-eater.
He demolished fortresses[a]
    and destroyed their towns and cities.
Their farms were desolated,
    and their crops were destroyed.
The land and its people trembled in fear
    when they heard him roar.
Then the armies of the nations attacked him,
    surrounding him from every direction.
They threw a net over him
    and captured him in their pit.
With hooks, they dragged him into a cage
    and brought him before the king of Babylon.
They held him in captivity,
    so his voice could never again be heard
    on the mountains of Israel.

10 “Your mother was like a vine
    planted by the water’s edge.
It had lush, green foliage
    because of the abundant water.
11 Its branches became strong—
    strong enough to be a ruler’s scepter.
It grew very tall,
    towering above all others.
It stood out because of its height
    and its many lush branches.
12 But the vine was uprooted in fury
    and thrown down to the ground.
The desert wind dried up its fruit
    and tore off its strong branches,
so that it withered
    and was destroyed by fire.
13 Now the vine is transplanted to the wilderness,
    where the ground is hard and dry.
14 A fire has burst out from its branches
    and devoured its fruit.
Its remaining limbs are not
    strong enough to be a ruler’s scepter.

“This is a funeral song, and it will be used in a funeral.”

Footnotes

  1. 19:7 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads He knew widows.

A Song of Sorrow

19 The Lord told me to sing this song of sorrow for two princes of Israel:

What a lioness your mother was!
She raised her cubs among the fierce male lions.
She raised a cub and taught him to hunt;
    he learned to eat people.
The nations heard about him
    and trapped him in a pit.
With hooks they dragged him off to Egypt.
She waited until she saw all hope was gone.
Then she raised another of her cubs,
    and he grew into a fierce lion.
When he was full-grown,
    he prowled with the other lions.
He too learned to hunt and eat people.
He wrecked forts,[a] he ruined towns.
The people of the land were terrified
    every time he roared.
The nations gathered to fight him;
    people came from everywhere.
They spread their hunting nets
    and caught him in their trap.
They put him in a cage
    and took him to the king of Babylonia.
They kept him under guard,
    so that his roar would never be heard again
    on the hills of Israel.

10 Your mother was like a grapevine[b]
    planted near a stream.
Because there was plenty of water,
    the vine was covered with leaves and fruit.
11 Its branches were strong
    and grew to be royal scepters.
The vine grew tall enough to reach the clouds;
    everyone saw how leafy and tall it was.
12 But angry hands pulled it up by the roots
    and threw it to the ground.
The east wind dried up its fruit.
Its branches were broken off;
    they dried up and were burned.
13 Now it is planted in the desert,
    in a dry and waterless land.
14 The stem of the vine caught fire;
    fire burned up its branches and fruit.
The branches will never again be strong,
    will never be royal scepters.

This is a song of sorrow; it has been sung again and again.

Footnotes

  1. Ezekiel 19:7 One ancient translation wrecked forts; Hebrew unclear.
  2. Ezekiel 19:10 Hebrew has an additional word, the meaning of which is unclear.

Israel Degraded

19 As for you, raise up a lamentation for the princes of Israel,(A) and say:

What a lioness was your mother
    among lions!
She lay down among young lions,
    rearing her cubs.(B)
She raised up one of her cubs;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured humans.(C)
The nations heard about him;
    he was caught in their pit,
and they brought him with hooks
    to the land of Egypt.(D)
When she saw that she was thwarted,
    that her hope was lost,
she took another of her cubs
    and made him a young lion.(E)
He prowled among the lions;
    he became a young lion,
and he learned to catch prey;
    he devoured people.(F)
And he ravaged their strongholds[a]
    and laid waste their towns;
the land was appalled, and all in it,
    at the sound of his roaring.(G)
The nations set upon him
    from the provinces all around;
they spread their net over him;
    he was caught in their pit.(H)
With hooks they put him in a neck collar
    and brought him to the king of Babylon;
    they brought him into custody,
so that his voice should be heard no more
    on the mountains of Israel.(I)
10 Your mother was like a vine in a vineyard[b]
    transplanted by the water,
fruitful and full of branches
    from abundant water.(J)
11 Its strongest stem became
    a ruler’s scepter;[c]
it towered aloft
    among the clouds;
it stood out in its height
    with its mass of branches.(K)
12 But it was plucked up in fury,
    cast down to the ground;
the east wind dried it up;
    its fruit was stripped off;
its strong stem was withered;
    the fire consumed it.(L)
13 Now it is transplanted into the wilderness,
    into a dry and thirsty land.(M)
14 And fire has gone out from its stem,
    has consumed its branches and fruit,
so that there remains in it no strong stem,
    no scepter for ruling.

This is a lamentation, and it is used as a lamentation.(N)

Footnotes

  1. 19.7 Tg: Heb his widows
  2. 19.10 Cn: Heb in your blood
  3. 19.11 Heb Its strongest stems became rulers’ scepters